I'm surprised nobody has mentioned that your cost estimates seem too low. I'm not in a position to correct you as I've never done what you plan to do. However, I have looked at boat prices and I have never seen a boat that meets your purpose and that you could buy in sail away condition ("drive off the lot") for $5,000. For a 28-30' boat, I imagine you are over your total budget just to get the boat in a seaworthy (and 2-year-live-aboard worthy) condition.

Here is a blog where a person has just completed a similar goal ( The Bahamas - Costs ) and posted the costs. I encourage you to read the whole blog... and for what it's worth, I saw that boat is presently for sale. Also, keep in mind this is a small 26' which is much less in size & cost than a 30'.

I encourage you to set and reach your goals so this is not meant to discourage you but to make sure you aren't foiled by incorrect estimates.

DO IT!! I recently divorced, my house is paid for and I decided to jump in and go for it. I am renting my house out and bought a 36` Morgan O/I. I`m bobing around the shipyard right now on the hard, but they are letting me live aboard while I make my own repairs. I`m just like every other dreamer except I finally decided to do it. I dont miss my 2000 square foot house ever...so far. I`m like a little kid in the boat, I go to sleep every night with a sh*t eating grin on my face. Best move I ever made and I`m not even under way yet.

You can find the deal you are looking for in New Orleans. Some of the katrina boats are still around and can be had cheap! Of course buyer beware have it checked by a surveyor to get a realistic repair estamate. This boat is 20 feet away from me and looks decent in person. I tried to post a link but i dont have a high enough post count. look at craigs list in New Orleans for a `37 Hunter.

Ok, So I have been all over Craigs list for the last two weeks.. I have found more boats for 5k than I can shake a stick at.And plenty of them are in very nice shape. I'm not even looking into anything newer than the 70's a few are 1980's boats I am pretty set on 28' or less.

Yeah, I know some need a lot of work,,,, but some need next to nothing and just have owners that are ready to move on to something else..

I'm not looking for the hottest s.v on the market. I'm just trying to get around.. and there are plenty of boats that I feel will do just that.. There for. I feel like i'm pretty right on course with budget..

As for New orleans,,, Yeah I've looked around there but the idea of buying a boat out of that region just scares me ... I've been looking from Texas to Maryland and It's pretty much a matter of taking my pick and pulling the trigger on it.

Logistics. 3 months water? And food? On a sub 30 footer? You any good at living on a gallon a day? Achievable? Yes. Easy? Not so much. Consider options. Water maker. Expensive. More port calls. Possibly costly. A cruiser with big tankage. A bonus if you pick the right one, but maybe not the least costly choice. You will want fresh food more than you might imagine once you're between somewhere and nowhere and pounding down another can of something, or reconstituted freeze-dried stuff (needs water). You're gonna wanna pull in somewhere.
Agreed, your financial targets are low. In this economic climate, you may get a great deal, but when figured with more honest methods, inflation is already around 10%, and likely to go higher, so your supplies will cost more. Definitely plan on more money.

Logistics. 3 months water? And food? On a sub 30 footer? You any good at living on a gallon a day? Achievable? Yes. Easy? Not so much. Consider options. Water maker. Expensive. More port calls. Possibly costly. A cruiser with big tankage. A bonus if you pick the right one, but maybe not the least costly choice. You will want fresh food more than you might imagine once you're between somewhere and nowhere and pounding down another can of something, or reconstituted freeze-dried stuff (needs water). You're gonna wanna pull in somewhere.
Agreed, your financial targets are low. In this economic climate, you may get a great deal, but when figured with more honest methods, inflation is already around 10%, and likely to go higher, so your supplies will cost more. Definitely plan on more money.

I feel you on that Seabreeze.. i too have thought that the water may be a problem.. But As you said i hope to find a boat with a big water tank.. Also as i understand it, their are all kinds of fresh water wells on a lot of the islands.. i just gotta find them..

As for food. You are right again, everyonce in awhile i'm going to just want to go ashore and let some one make me a wonderful dinner and i'm sure from time to time I will. But I also see myself eating a lot of fresh caught fish.

I.D.K who knows maybe by the time I get ready to leave food will be so inflated that nobody can afford to eat!!

the lagistics really are a problem. But i think I can get passed them. Besides I honestly think that if I gotta look at more than 20k in savings/budget then I just can't do it,, after all i'm not rich. But i do think that some people are getting the impression that I plan to go out there and be the normal cash weilding tourist.. this is not the case.. I plan to be as frugal as I possibly can.. Plus, I do plan on looking for work when I can find it ( Even if I still have money in the bank) i'm not one to be un prepaired.

The fact is, i'm no longer happy doing what I'm doing where i'm doing it and i need to make a change in my life. I need more in my life. I feel like I need to live, becasue I feel like I haven't been living in a long time.

I can also say this.. I grew up a poor white boy in a small no name town in oregon. I never had money and many would say i never had a chance..

But I had a dream, I wanted to send myself off to live in one of the best ski resorts in america amongst the richest people in the world.. well Aspen was to far so I am here in wonderful Vail Co. And I have been for 15 years.. So I hope that shows my determination. every one said I'd be back in a month... I've never looked back.

Maybe I go to sea for a year and travel. learn something about my self and grow as a person. After that I can always find some sort of work to see myself by. i've never had a hard time finding a job when I start looking. Granted, i've never had to look for a job in the current state of our country.

Ok, So I have been all over Craigs list for the last two weeks.. I have found more boats for 5k than I can shake a stick at.And plenty of them are in very nice shape.

Yeah, I know some need a lot of work,,,, but some need next to nothing and just have owners that are ready to move on to something else..

I wish I could find a $5k ocean going, 28-30' boat that needs next to nothing in terms of cost to make her seaworthy. I'm serious. If you find some, please post the links here as I'm interested. If it isn't in need of costly work, it wouldn't be selling inexpensively.

I wish I could find a $5k ocean going, 28-30' boat that needs next to nothing in terms of cost to make her seaworthy. I'm serious. If you find some, please post the links here as I'm interested. If it isn't in need of costly work, it wouldn't be selling inexpensively.

I didn't say that I found any i would cross the atlantic in right out of the dock,, but if you look you will find them..

Well, you said you wanted a boat that was "fully outfitted" at $5,000. I don't think any of the above could be purchased and made ready - fully outfitted - for $5k. Those are the type of boats to which I thought you might be referring; These boats will take more than just effort to be ready for a 1-2 year voyage.

At any rate, my original post was not meant to argue purchase prices but to get you to think about the real costs of owning the boat over that time period. Speak to a boat broker and ask what would need to be done to those boats to make them ready and then add up the costs. Sails? Engine? Standing rigging? Running rigging? Electronics? What about structural work... rotten deck core, ugh, that was the killer in my search edging out engine replacement.

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